Buckle



Jul 3, 1923.

E. N. HUMPHREY BUCKLE Filed Sept. 1, 1922 ATTORNbFY.

Patented July 3, 1923.

nnuns'r ivnnson HUMPHREY, or new BRITAIN, connnorrcur.

BUCKLE.

Application filed September 1, 1922. Serial No. 585,6b7.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that I, Ennnsr NnLsoN HUM-II-IREY, a citizen of the United. States of America, residing at NewBritain, Connecticut, have invented anew and useful Buckle, of which thefollowing is a specification. I

My invention relates to improvements in buckles of a type particularlyuseful in connection with belts for personal wear. It is essentially animprovement on the buckle set forth and described in my former PatentNo. 1,395,713 of November 1, 1921.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rear side of the buckle showingthe belt ends in operative relation therewith.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the center of the buckle andbelt with the parts in the same position as indicated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view, the parts being shown in a different position.

. Fig. 4; is a perspective View of the buckle with the belt endsdetached.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustrating a modification.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of certain details shown in Fig. 5. I

1 represents a front plate having rearwardly extending flanges 2-2 atthe upper and lower edges forming a channel between them for the passageof the belt. 3 is a plate pivoted at 4-4t tothe flanges 22 at the backof plate 1. At the outer end of plate 3 is pivoted another plate 5. 66are belt gripping teeth which are bent off from the plate 5 at an angle,as shown, whichteeth co-act with the adjacent part of the plate 3 infixedly securing one end of the belt to the buckle. The other end of theplate 5 is provided with offset portions 77, which in this case are inthe form of lugs or ears, and pivotally mounted between the ears 77 iswhat I will term a movable cam 8, which functions to frictionally gripthe sliding end of the belt between itself and the back of plate 1, asbest seen in Fig. 2, wherein the fixed end of the belt is indicated at 9and the adjustable end at 10. In this view the compressing effect of themovable cam 8 on the adjustable end 10 of the belt is exaggerated forthe purposes of illustration. The belt engaging portion of the movablecam 8 is preferably eccentric so that, as tension on the belt increases,the cam may turn. so

as to increase its gripping action thereon.

Furthermore, by this formation belts of substantially differentthicknesses may be taken care of the eccentric cam action. To assemblethe parts, the end?) of the belt is firstsecured to the plate 3 byswinging the plate 5 from the position indicated in Fig. 4 to thatindicated in Figs 2 and 3, so that, the teeth 6 will firmly engage theend 9 of the belt and hold it fixedly in place. To insert the adjustableend 10 of the belt the same is passed through the channel between theflanges 2-2 and thence through the Space between the end of the plate 3and the back of plate 1, as shown in Fig. 3. The several parts are thenswung from the position indicated in Fig. 3 to that indicated 'in Fig. 2which serves to move the caminto the belt gripping position'in the samemanner as 'indica-ted'in my former patent, but in the present instancethe cam 8 serves as a self-adjusting means to compensate for belts ofdifferent thicknesses. To release the adjustable end 10 of the belt theseveral parts are swung back to the postion indicated in Fig. 3which'movement withdraws the cam from belt holding engagement.

I have shown my invention in its preferred form and in the use of theterms to designate various parts, such as the term plate, I have usedthe same in a broad sense. While I have shown the belt gripping portionof the plate 5 which engages the fixed end 90f the belt in the form ofprominent teeth, I do not desire to belimited to this specificstructure, as it is entirely possible that a plain edge or a slightlyknurled edge would very satisfactorily engage and: hold the belt end 9.I

In the modification shown in Figs. 5 and 6, 5 represents a platecorresponding to the plate 5 in the previous views, but in this case Ihave provided a loop 5 at the rear end of the plate as the means forreceiving the fixed end. of the belt, which may be folded through saidloop and stitched or otherwise fastened. In all of these cases theparticular tension of the gripping member may be adjusted or varied, bybending the plate 5, which carries the gripping element.

It should: be understood that, while I have shown the pivot ends 4 asformed integrally that is to say, it is obvious that said pivots may beeither integral or non-integral, as desired.

What I claim is:

1. In a buckle, a front plate, a second plate pivotally connected to theback of the front plate and spaced apart therefrom, a third platepivotally connected adjacent the free end of the second plate, withmeans coacting with said second plate to secure the buckle fixedly toone end of a belt, a movable cani adjacent the free end of said thirdplate and carried thereby and located adjacent to the pivotal portion ofsaid second plate when in operative position.

2. In abuckle, a front plate, a member pivotally connected thereto atthe back and spaced apart therefrom. another member pivotally connectedadjacent the free end of said first member with means carried thereby tofixedly secure one end of a belt between said members, a movable camadjacent the free end of the last mentioned member and carried therebyand located at one side of the pivotal portion of said first member whensaid cam is in the belt engaging position.

3. In a buckle, a front plate, a member hinged to and at the backthereof and spaced apart therefrom to form a belt passage, means carriedby said member to fixedly secure one end of a belt thereto, a movablecam carried by said means and located between the pivotal portion of thefirst member and the back of said front plate when the several parts arein the belt engaging position.

4. In a buckle, a front plate, a member hinged to and at the backthereof and spaced apart therefrom to form a belt passage, means carriedby said member to fixedly secure one end of a belt thereto, a movablecam carried by said means and located between the pivotal portion ofsaid hinged member and the back of said front plate when the severalparts are in the belt engaging position, said cam being bodily withdrawnfrom said operative position by swinging the hinged member away fromsaid front plate.

5. In a buckle, a front plate, a member pivoted at the back of saidplate and spaced apart therefrom, means carried by said member andmovable relatively thereto, and a cam pivotally mounted on said movablemeans independently of said pivoted member, said cam being bodilymovable toward and away from the pivotal portion of the first mentionedmember.

6. In a buckle, a front plate, a member pivoted at the back of saidplate and spaced apart therefrom, means carried by said member andmovable relatively thereto, and a cam pivotally mounted on said movablemeans independently of said pivoted member, said cam being bodilymovabletoward and away from the pivotal portion of said pivoted member, andalso being bodily movable into and out of position between the frontplate and the pivotal portion of said pivoted member.

' 7. In a buckle, a front plate, a member pivoted at the back of saidplate and spaced apart therefrom, another member pivoted to the free endof the first member, a cam pivoted to the last-mentioned member andpositioned adjacent to the pivotal portion of the first-mentioned memberwhen said two members are folded together, andmeans adjacent the pivotalportion of the second-mentioned member for securing one end of a beltthereto, the other end of said belt being ad justably engaged betweensaid front plate and said cam when the parts are in one position andbeing free to slide between said plateand cam when said parts are inanother position.

8. In a buckle, a front plate, a member pivoted at one end to the backof said plate and spaced apart therefrom, a second member pivoted to thefree end of the first-mentioned member, a cam pivoted at one end of thesecond-mentioned member, and attach ing means at the opposite end ofsaid second-mentioned member for receiving one end of the belt, theother end of said belt being slidable through the space'between saidplate and the other named parts when the same are in one position, andbeing held in place against sliding by said cam, when the parts are inanother osition.

ERNEST NELSO HUMPHREY.

